Degreasing device



. Filed Aug. 21, 1946 May 3, 1949. M; JAFFA 2,469,040

DEGREAS ING DEVICE 3 Shets-Sheet l IN V EN TOR.

31.0312 JaFI-q' ATTORNEYS DEGREASING DEVICE Filed Aug. 21, 1946 s Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Mose IaFFa- ATTORNEYS May 3, 1949. M. JAFFA 2,469,040

DEGREASING DEVICE Filed Aug. 21, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. Mose JaPPa.

ATTORNEYS Patented May 3, 1949 DEGREASING DEVICE Mose J affa, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Optimus Equipment Company, Matawan, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application August 21, 194.6, Serial No. 692,107

1 Claim. 1

My invention relates to a device for degreasing and otherwise cleansing metal objects and other objects, as for example, by means of the vapor of a halogenated hydrocarbon which is a good cleansing agent in liquid form and in vapor form. I can use other cleansing agents which have the same properties. The invention is especially adapted for use in the automotive industry.

Some of the principal objects of my invention are to provide a casing which has companion heating and condensing tanks, in one of which a liquid is heated to provide a cleansing vapor, said tanks being connected so that the vapor flows from the heating tank to the condensing tank, in which the vapor is condensed; to provide a suppfemental, valve-controlled conduit between said tanks when a rapid flow of vapor from the heating tank to the condensing tank is desired; to maintain a permanent liquid pool of condensed vapor in the condensing tank, so that liquid can be withdrawn from said pool, for using in spraying the objects to be cleansed; to provide a trap-pipe or return pipe between the tanks, so that the liquid, of the pool in the condensation tank is automatically kept at a selected level; to provide improved means for suspending the covers of said tanks at the tops of said tanks; and in general, to provide a simpe and efiicient device which can be made at low cost.

It has been proposed to use a single tank at whose top-portion the vapor is condensed.

By using separate heater and condensing tanks, I provide much more eflicient and adjustable operation.

Other objects of my invention are disclosed in the annexed drawings and description which disclose a preferred embodiment thereof.

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the improved device.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig, 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

The device comprises'a casing l which is made of any suitable metal or alloy and includes respective tanks or chambers 2 and 3. The vapor is produced in heating tank 2 and condensed in the condensing tank 3. The tanks 2 and 3 are separated by respective partitions 4 and 5 which have respective horizontal communicating pipes 6 and 1. The pipe 6 is always open and it is of sufficient diameter to prevent the level of the vapor from rising substantially above said pipe. Hence the vapor cannot rise above the top of tank 2. This is a useful safety feature, because the cover of tank 2 may not fit vapor-tight. The pipe 1 provides an additional conduit for leading the vapor even more rapidly from tank 2 to condensing tank 3, in order to prevent any escape of vapor from tank 2. This pipe 1 is-controlled by a hand-operated valve 8 which has an external hand-wheel 9.

A pool of liquid I0 is located at the bottom of tank 2. This liquid I0 is heated by a conventional, external electric heater II.- The Vapor is condensed in the tank 3 to form a pool of condensed liquid l2. The walls of the tanks 2 and 3 can be made of material which is a good conductor of heat, and which radiates heat freely, so that the cleansing vapor is condensed in the tank 3 by means of the'radiation of its latent heat of vaporizatiom If desired, the wall of tank 2, including its partition 4, may be insulated to minimize loss of heat. The walls of the tanks 2 and 3, including their respective partitions 4 and 5, can be made of sheet steel having a thickness of about 0.07 inch. The interior faces of the steel walls of the tanks-2 and 3 are optionally provided with a protective plating or coating of zinc having a thickness, for example, of .0012 inch. This is an important feature of my invention. The articles to be degreased are held above the level of the pool ID in tank 2, so as to be exposed to the cleansing action of the vapor, by means of baskets or any other suspension means. The tanks 2'and 3 are provided with respective covers l4- and I5 which have respective handholds 16 and 11. These covers I and I5 are identical. Cover [5 has an L-shaped lip l8. The wall of tank'3- has an angular or hook lip I 9. The cover 1508.11 be slid to the right and depressed at handle I! until the lip l8 engages the lip l9, so that the cover I5 can be thus conveniently hung from the top of the tank 3. The cover l4 and tank 2 have corresponding lips.

The trap pipe 20 has an inlet end 2| in tank 3 which is higher than its outlet end 22 in tank 2. When the level of the condensed liquid of the pool l2 rises to the level of the inlet 2|, the surplus liquid flows back from pool l2 of tank 3 to the pool ID of tank 2.

In some cases, it is desirable to treat the articles which are suspended in the tank 2, with a stream of cleansing liquid instead of using cleansing vapor. For this purpose, a pump 23 is provided which has an inlet pipe 24 which is connected to tank 3 below the top of pool l2. This pump 23 has an outlet pipe 25. This outlet pipe 25 is a flexible hose of any suitable length,

which is optionally provided at its outer end with a spray nozzle. By displacing the cover M so that it hangs down from tank 2, said spray nozzle can be used for spraying the cleansing liquid downwardly upon the suspended objects in the tank 2. The pump 23 is operated by a motor 26. The circuit of the motor 26 includes a bulb 21 which is in the circuit of motor 23, or in parallel with said circuit, so that bulb 21 is illuminated when the circuit of motor 23 is.

closed.

The heater H is provided with a conventional thermostat, which has conventional regulating means, so that the temperature of the vapor in tank 2 can be regulated. These adjusting means include the scale 28 and the associated needle shown in Figs. 1 and 2. These conventional parts are not specifically illustrated. heater I I has two heating sections, whose respective circuits arecontrolled by respective button switches 29 and 30'.

The device is mounted on wheels or casters 3 1. An apron 32 is fixed tothe bottom of easing i.

These halogenated hydrocarbon cleansing agents are exemplified by trichlorethylene, CzHClz, and tetrachlorethylene, CCIzCClz.

For commercial use, such cleansing agents usually include inhibitors and other ingredients.

When a vapor of a chlorinated hydrocarbon is used, and there is water vapor on the interior wall of tank 2, there is a slow evolution of chicrine from the vapor, thus forminggaseous hydrochloric acid.

If the water vapor forms rust, namely, Fe2(HO)e.Fe20:, this rust is readily attacked by gaseous hydrochloric acid, thus producing ferric chloride, FezCls. By using a zinc lining or other protective internal coating which is inert or substantially resistant to gaseous hydrochloric acid under the conditions prevailing in the apparatus, I effectively protect the steel walls of the tanks 2 and 3. V

The tank 3' may optionally be cooled by conventional refrigerating orcooling means. However, this is not necessary, because the only heat conducting means between tanks 2 and} are the thin metal pipes 6 l, and 2B- and the thin wall 33. Said wall 33- may be omitted. The wall of tank 3 thus radiates heat sufiiciently under conditions of ordinary external atmospheric temperature, so as to condense. the cleansing vapor. Tank 3 has a removable drainage plug 34 at its closedbottom wall. The tanks 2 and 3 may be designated as having normally closed bottom walls. If plug 34 is in position and motor 26 is not operating; the only outlet for tank 3 is the liquid-conducting pipeor conduit 20.

I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention, but numerous changes, omissions and additions can be made without departing from its scope.

I claim:

A degreasing device for use with a vaporizable liquid whose vapor isa solvent for grease, said Said electricfirst compartment, forming a closure therefor and preventing the vapor from escaping, a conduit providing communication between the two spaced compartments adjacent their top ends, said conduit being sufficiently large to conduct vapor from the first of said spaced compartments to the second, a second conduit disposed below the first conduit and also providing communication between the two spaced compartments to further facilitate the flow of vapor from the first of said spaced compartments to the second, both of said conduits being disposed across the intermediate compartment, the lower of said conduits having a valve mounted therein which is disposed in said intermediate compartment and which is adapted to control the flow of vapor through said lower conduit, a third conduit mounted in said intermediate compartment, below the first two conduits, and also providing communication between the two spaced compartments, said lowermost conduit serving as a return duct for the vapor which passes through the first two conduits into the second of said spaced compartments and therein condenses, a cover being also provided for the second of said spaced compartments to prevent escape of the vapor therefrom, said intermediate compartment being also provided with a motor-driven pump which communicates at its inlet end with the bottom of the second of said spaced compartments, its outlet being connected to a flexible spraying hose, whereby the condensed solvent in the second of said spaced compartments may be sprayed upon objects which require degreasing.

MOSE JAFFA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,020,335 Savage Nov. 12,. 935 2,057,177 Wolff Oct. 13, 1936 2,116,862 Dinley May 10, 1938 2,318,455 Black May 4, 1943 2,329,674 Phillips et a1 Sept. 14, 1943 OTHER REFERENCES Materials of Construction for Chemical Engineering Equipment, Chem. and Met. Eng, Sept. 1944, pages 93-134. 

